Just viewed "Viejos" (elderly) at Sitges Film Festival 2022 and my feelings on it are mixed.
With the plot they were given, the crew did everything they possibly could. The acting, lighting, camera, Sound and Music is great throughout the entire movie and there's clear Signs of creativity and innovation behind the scenes. The actors playing the grandfather as well as the daughter were definitely the best actors of the film, which is overall interesting as well as impressive.
Unfortunately, however, the writing is quite dull at times. There's a lot tension as well as jumpscares at times, and the film itself is very creepy. Yet it Seem to be creepy for the sake of being creepy at multiple occasions. It's not that it's a slow burn and that a bad thing, it's more that multiple scenes seem like plot devices when they really aren't which makes it all seem convoluted.
It saddens me to say, because tethered so many good ideas. The movie makes comments on how we treat the elderly, climate change and grief both literally and by the use of metaphors, but many unnecessary horror tropes and a ton of underwritten characters (everyone besides the daughter of the main family) really drags everything else down.
The film takes an unexpected turn near the third act, but I personally enjoyed it. The first act however, not so much. I do hope to see more from the directors in the future and hope they - along side the great cast and crew - get praise internationally
In brief: Everything about the film was inpressive and the atmosphere and messages were great. Plot drags it down for me. Due to the many great factors, I score it 7.5/10.
